We Win, They Lose

One of my first thoughts of hearing the wonderful news that Osama Bin Laden was killed by American special forces in a spectacular raid into Pakistan was a comment by Ronald Reagan. Reagan was asked his vision of how the Cold War with the Soviet Union would end, and Reagan replied, "We win, they lose."

While Bid Laden's death is not synonymous with victory in the war on terrorism, it certainly is an important piece: America lives and thrives, while one of our leading enemies is dead. That is the lesson we want all of America's enemies to fear, so as to prevent them from being our enemies in the first place.

Another thought that quickly came to mind was the contrast in the success of this mission with the abysmal failure of the 1980 effort to rescue the American hostages held by Iran. 30 years of an American military build up led by Ronald Reagan, which provided the capacity and confidence to gain operational experience from successful war fighting and special operations activities, have honed our military's skills today to a degree that dwarfs the capabilities of the U.S. military in 1980.

Lastly, the extraordinary skill and bravery of America's warriors is remarkable, and for which we should be very grateful. Without men such as these, we could not enjoy the quality of life we take for granted in America.